Kenwood Sonoma: Light, bright, easy, minimal tannins, mildly spicy. It’s not a “fruity” wine, but it has more fruit than the others. A potential crowd-pleaser. However, it’s very neutral, and doesn’t have much aroma.

Ravenswood Sonoma: Powerful. Serious. Abundant mouth-drying tannins. Eucalyptus and a hint of licorice. An interesting wine. A food wine. However, not much aroma, and the flavor is taking a risk, so not everybody will like it.

Rancho Zabaco Dry Creek: Seductive aroma of coffee, rhubarb and cedar. The two extra dollars you spend on this zin get you complexity, serious tannins, and a combination of cinnamon, cocoa and blackberries. I like it a lot, but again, it’s a bit different, so it may not appeal to everyone.

If you factor in the cost, this trio is basically a dead heat. A three-way tie. If forced to rank them, I would say: